PHOENIX — Arizona’s governor is calling on the U.S. Department of Defense to finally take action to address Pentagon-related groundwater contamination near Arizona’s military installations.
In an April 27 letter to Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, Governor Doug Ducey requested Department of Defense (DOD) to identify and treat water in Arizona contaminated in the areas surrounding four DOD installations and to prevent additional human exposure to PFAS from other DOD facilities in Arizona.
Luke Air Force Base, Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Morris Air National Guard Base and the former Williams Air Force Base have been identified as the four installations with known impacts to groundwater. These bases are located in the two most populous metropolitan areas in Arizona, and each is surrounded by businesses and residential communities where thousands of Arizonans live.
The water is contaminated by per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).
“Ensuring that all Arizonans have the cleanest possible drinking water from public water systems today and for our future is critical for our health and well-being and a top priority of our state,” said Ducey. “The situation in Arizona deserves attention. Arizona, through the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality, is acting to contain the spread of PFAS now, and I ask you to make a similar commitment on behalf of DOD for prompt remedial actions to address the DOD-related PFAS contamination of groundwater throughout Arizona and protect the health and safety of Arizonans.”